Culture 5 min read By Lauren Baxter
«Artificial» Review: Luca Guadagnino's OpenAI Origin Story Is the Real Sequel to «The Social Network»
Luca Guadagnino's new docudrama «Artificial» premiered at the New York Film Festival, with Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman and Yura Borisov as Ilya Sutskever. The film traces the origins of OpenAI and the birth of artificial intelligence, earning comparisons to «The Social Network».
Luca Guadagnino has made the real sequel to «The Social Network» — a brain-spinning tech-geek docudrama that is brilliantly acted by Andrew Garfield and Yura Borisov. «Artificial» is a brilliant but playful docudrama, meticulously true to history, that focuses on the founders of OpenAI, notably its CEO Sam Altman (Andrew Garfield). But the tale it tells is much larger than that.
«Artificial» goes back to the earliest days of AI and shows you how the technology was invented, how it was developed, how it was dreamed. The film had its world premiere Monday at the New York Film Festival, arriving with a bit of controversy attached. Produced and made under Amazon MGM Studios, the Luca Guadagnino film about the origin of OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman and key creative Ilya Sutskever was shopped around after Amazon decided maybe it did not want to release it.
Andrew Garfield is chilling as Sam Altman in Luca Guadagnino's OpenAI origin story that should make you very afraid. The film is a meticulously researched docudrama that captures the early days of artificial intelligence and the people who built it. Yura Borisov takes on the role of Ilya Sutskever, the key creative force behind OpenAI's early breakthroughs.
Neon has set an Oscar campaign for «Artificial», with Andrew Garfield in Supporting Actor and Yura Borisov in Lead. The campaign positioning suggests the studio sees strong awards potential in both performances, particularly Borisov's turn as the enigmatic Sutskever. The official poster for Luca Guadagnino's «Artificial» starring Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman has also been released, building anticipation for the film's theatrical rollout.
The film's premiere at the New York Film Festival marks a significant moment for Guadagnino, who has moved from the sun-drenched romance of «Call Me by Your Name» to the cold, cerebral world of artificial intelligence. «Artificial» is not just a biopic of Sam Altman or a history of OpenAI; it is a broader examination of how AI was invented, developed, and dreamed. The docudrama format allows Guadagnino to blend historical accuracy with a playful, propulsive narrative energy that recalls the best of Aaron Sorkin's tech-world dialogue.
Comparisons to «The Social Network» are inevitable and, according to early reviews, earned. Both films take a controversial tech founder and use him as a lens to examine a larger cultural shift. But where «The Social Network» was about the birth of social media, «Artificial» is about the birth of artificial intelligence — a technology that its reviewers suggest should make audiences very afraid. The film does not shy away from the unsettling implications of its subject matter, even as it entertains.
The controversy surrounding the film's distribution adds a layer of real-world drama to its release. Amazon MGM Studios produced the film but then shopped it around, a move that raised questions about the studio's confidence in the project. Neon ultimately picked it up and is now mounting a serious awards campaign. The film's journey from production to premiere mirrors the unpredictable, high-stakes world it depicts.
With Andrew Garfield in Supporting Actor and Yura Borisov in Lead, Neon is clearly betting on the film's performances to carry it through awards season. Garfield's portrayal of Altman is described as chilling, while Borisov's Sutskever is the film's emotional and intellectual anchor. The official poster, featuring Garfield as Altman, has already generated buzz online.
«Artificial» is a brilliant but playful docudrama, meticulously true to history, that focuses on the founders of OpenAI. But the tale it tells is much larger than that. It goes back to the earliest days of AI and shows you how the technology was invented, how it was developed, how it was dreamed. For audiences interested in the intersection of technology, culture, and the people who shape both, «Artificial» promises to be an essential and unsettling watch.
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